Jerry Knowles

Jerome P. Knowles (born July 30, 1948) is a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 124th legislative district.[1] He was first elected in a special election in May, 2009 to fill the vacancy left by Dave Argall who was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate to succeed the late Senator James J. Rhoades. He defeated his Democratic opponent, Bill Mackey, with more than 70% of the vote.

Jerry Knowles
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 124th district
Assumed office
May 19, 2009
Preceded byDave Argall
Personal details
Born (1948-07-30) July 30, 1948
Coaldale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Lorraine
ResidenceTamaqua, Pennsylvania

Prior to his election to the state House, Knowles served as councilman and mayor of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania and later a Schuylkill County commissioner.

Political Positions

Knowles opposes legalizing adult-use cannabis in Pennsylvania, calling it a "dangerous and illegal drug". He also opposes lessening the criminal penalties of cannabis possession.[2] In addition, he introduced a bill that would eliminate state funding to municipalities that support or operate safe injection sites for drug users.[3]

Although during the COVID-19 epidemic, Knowles put out a statement advocating for his constituents to stay vigilant,[4] he voted to end the Governor's emergency stay-at-home order[5] and pushed for the governor to ease restrictions on his county.[6] As public schools began to consider reopening for in-person classes, Knowles began soliciting co-sponsors for legislation that would roll back mandatory mask wearing in schools for young children. Instead, he believes the current mandate to be impractical and advocates for the decision to be made by individuals schools.[7]

He has received pushback from the LGBTQ+ community for his perceived homophobia. In March of 2020, he yelled at one of two openly gay lawmakers in the PA House of Representatives, calling him a "little girl" as he was speaking on the floor wearing a rainbow mask.[8] In 2018, he signed onto a letter asking to eliminate LGBTQ+ inclusive birth certificates. The letter asked that Pennsylvania resume issuing birth certificates with the parents listed under a "mother/father" section, instead of the current "parent/parent" section.

Campaigns

Knowles did not face a Democratic challenger in a general election since faced. In the 2020 election, Knowles was challenged by Taylor Picone, an officer of the U.S. Army National Guard. Knoweles defeated Picone significantly, receiving 72.5% of the vote.

References
  1. "Jerry P. Knowles". Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  2. Knowles, Jerry (2019-09-26). "Wolf's Call to Legalize Marijuana is Wrong, Says Knowles". PA State Rep. Jerry Knowles. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  3. "Bill Information - House Bill 2054; Regular Session 2019-2020". Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  4. Heffley. "Carbon County Moving to 'Yellow' Phase, But Residents Must Remain Vigilant, Say Heffley, Yudichak, Knowles".
  5. "House Roll Calls - 2019 RCS# 1406". Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  6. Knowles, Jerry (2020-05-13). "Schuylkill County Delegation Issues Statement On Remaining 'Red'". repknowles.com. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  7. "HB2814 Sponsorship Memorandum". Pennsylvania General Assembly. 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  8. Browning, Bil (2020-05-29). "Out lawmaker called a "little girl" by Republican as he gave a speech on the House floor". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  • State.pa.us, Pennsylvania House of Representatives - Jerry Knowles official PA House website


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